[ToxicShadow]

Additionally, she had turned off the camera's set-to-print status, so she wouldn't have a stack of photos that would inevitably get lost in the depths of her hat. With everything set to go, Clone snapped her first shot of the Christmas Tree. She checked the photo that displayed on the screen of the camera. After a moment, she decided that it looked pretty good. "Yeah, it's not bad," she told herself. Although, a single photo was not going to be enough.

6 (Christmas Tree)

[Indigo]

Relax, the researchers had said. You work even harder than us, and it's the holidays! Take a break! The email had been riddled with exclamation points. And, well, they did have a point. So here Scarlett was, so dedicated to relaxation she'd traveled to the other continent to do it. It was winter, more or less her favorite season, and she'd had enough successes lately to be worth celebrating. All was well. She had spent a significant portion of the evening standing just out of reach of the bonfire's warmth, since she'd developed a rather strong preference for the cold, watching the other attendees and occasionally noting their oddities and having a pretty good time.

All had been well. Now there was a problem.

She had noticed the pretty Juice Kuhna's arrival, of course. How could she not? The other Kuhna hadn't even sat all that far away from her. But she hadn't been closely observing or anything, since there was nothing especially odd about her as far as Scarlett could tell. But now...well. Now there was something or other tangled around the other Kuhna's ears and shoulders and tails, something pale and wispy and definitely not corporeal. She had no idea what it meant, but it definitely didn't mean anything good. And, of course, she couldn't help but do something about it.

2 - Bonfire

[ToxicShadow]

The Meji began to circle around the tree, snapping photos as she went. She was getting shots of the Christmas tree from all available angles. If she found an ornament especially lovely or interesting, she got a close up shot of it. With each photo she took, she had to briefly stop and look it over to make sure they were up to some standards. Occasionally, she would "Oooh," or "Aaaah," at either the tree or the photos she took of it.

7 (Christmas Tree)

[ToxicShadow]

When she was finally satisfied with all of her photographs, the Meji decided she needed just one more. Clone needed to commemorate this event, even if she attending the festivities all by herself. Looking all around her, she noticed a small family nearby. The mother was helping the child with something, while the father was standing idly by. He seemed like the perfect person to make a quick little request of.

8 (Christmas Tree)

[ToxicShadow]

"Excuse me, Sir?" She called out as she approached him.  The man didn't seem to notice her then. It took her calling out to him a second time before he turned to face the sound of her voice, though he looked passed her. "Ah, down here," she went on., waving one of her paws around in an effort to really grab his attention.

The sight of a Meji was an unexpected one, that much was evident on his face, but he didn't seem concerned by the fact that she could talk. A talking Meji wasn't that surprising, right? Not all creatures of Evelon were, well, suited to being pets.

9 (Christmas Tree)

[Kestrel]

Ebony and Ivory settled down next to the woodpile and gave a joint sigh. Ebony gazed into the fire, letting the murmur of voices around them wash over him. There were many families here, the children dozing off on their parents' shoulders or laps. The talk had turned mostly to stories of the past, of the town and of the people who had lived here for years.

Ebony nudged Lapis gently, and smiled at the little scarab. "Barakka isn't so bad, now is it, Lapis?"

Lapis whirred her wings and huffed. "Too cold."

Ivory gave a short laugh. "Because Lazuli had the bright idea to leave Wilt'no in the middle of winter."

Lazuli giggled. "But the snow is so pretty, isn't it? It always looks so fluffy and soft! And we wouldn't get to see snow any other time of the year. And nothing near Wilt'no is ever this festive for Christmas."

Ebony glanced up at the great tree a few feet away from the bonfire circle. It was showered in ornaments and tinsel and glitter, every branch hung with cheerfully blinking lights. Some of the more energetic children were playing in its branches, climbing up and up as their parents nervously called out warnings from below.

"Christmas here is really nice," Ebony replied dreamily. "We should stay in Nabias at least until the festivities end."

When there was no sharp dissent from Lapis, the Imeut glanced down at the leg on which the scarab had perched. She had her brilliant gold-and-blue wings tucked in and her head tucked down, and the softest of snores were coming from her tiny body. Ebony smiled. Sleep always cured a little bit of Lapis's grumpiness, and no one should be anything but cheerful at such a joyful time of year.

2 - Bonfire

[ToxicShadow]

After a moment, the man finally answered Clone. "Ah, yes? Can I... help you?"

"Ah, yes. I was wondering if you would take a picture of me in front of this lovey Christmas tree." With her explanation, she gestured toward the tree. The man's eyes shifted toward the tree and then back to the Meji. "Sure."

Hearing his answer, Clone smiled. "Thank you."

10 (Christmas tree)

[Kitsumi]

The doctor certainly hadn't planned on stopping for the festive gathering. But when he had noticed the roaring bonfire on his way home from work, he had been intrigued. When he had moved closer to see what was going on, he had been beckoned in by an Alluria, and told to enjoy himself. He could have left at that point. It might have been nice to have a calm night to himself after a long day patching up injuries and diagnosing ill patients. But the warmth from the crackling logs had enticed him to stay.

Now he stood as close to the fire as he dared, holding his hands out to warm them. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to venture any further than he already was, but he was enjoying himself right here by the bonfire.

[Post 1: Bonfire]

((My first choice of prize would be an editless custom, with my second choice being KS.))

[Kitsumi]

His proximity to the heat soon became a problem. Ethan backed up, finding a spot on one of the logs to sit on. He was slightly concerned about the germs and bacteria that could possibly be on such a seat, but in the end he was able to ignore his worries. He was here to enjoy himself, wasn't he? Besides, all he needed to do was take a very thorough shower when he returned home. That was a small price to pay for a bit of festivity.

Still feeling nice and warm from the fire, Ethan found himself looking around at the various people. He wondered if any of them were people he had seen in the clinic. He saw so many people on a daily basis that it was difficult to remember most of them. Although he knew it was wrong, he couldn't help but eavesdrop in on a conversation that was happening near him.

[Post 2: Bonfire]

[Kestrel]

Ebony was just about to drift off to sleep, his eyelids slowly drooping down, when he heard a loud rumbling next to him. He glanced over at Ivory, who had a sheepish look on her face.

"I guess I'm a bit hungry. We didn't really have much to eat for lunch."

Ebony chuckled. Gently picking up Lapis, he moved her to his shoulder--while marveling at her tiny, perfect snores--and stood up. "Well, there's bound to be found around here somewhere, right?"

A woman next to them overheard and pointed south. "There's hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, and a candy stand that way, and also a bakery past the Christmas tree, if you all are looking for food."

The Imeuts thanked her, and she smiled. "Enjoy the festivities! It's always nice to see what newcomers come to Nabias this time of year."

"So, what are you hungry for?" Ebony asked.

Ivory paused to consider, when Lazuli let out a loud "ooooo". He whirred above the Tomb Imeut's head, angled south. "Look! Look! It's a fountain! And it looks like it has swans!"

The little scarab took off, flying in the direction of what really looked to be a running fountain (wasn't it too cold for that?) with birds of some kind splashing about in it.

"Well," said Ivory, a bemused look on her face, "I suppose it'll be hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, and candy then."

3 - Bonfire, moving towards the Fountain

[Kitsumi]

"Do you think I overdid it?" One woman was speaking to another. Both woman looked very similar - sisters, perhaps? "I mean, I know we're on a tight budget. But it's Christmas! I don't want our kids to feel like we don't care about them, you know? Christmas is the time to splurge on gifts and stuff, right?"

Ethan stopped listening as the other woman began to agree. Christmas gifts? He hadn't even thought of gifting anybody this year. He lived alone, and didn't have a significant other. He had been an only child, and both of his parents had died within the past five years. Did he even had anyone that would expect gifts from him? Maybe he should gift some of the office ladies, or the nurses, or...

"Dr. Emerson?"

[Post 3: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

"Roland!" Ethan jumped to his feet, automatically giving a half bow as he spotted the young man. Realizing where they were, he suddenly straightened and flushed. "Ah, sorry. I know you hate it when I follow court protocol in public. It was purely out of habit, I assure you."

Roland laughed and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you didn't refer to me as 'your highness' the way you sometimes do." He was smiling, obviously enjoying himself. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you enjoyed things like this. And I would have thought that you would have your hands full juggling work for my father and at the clinic."

[Post 4: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

The doctor smiled back. The prince's enthusiasm was already seeming to spread to him. "I have been busy," he admitted. "Which is part of the reason why I couldn't help but stop when I saw this little...event." He wasn't sure exactly what it was. "I haven't done anything for myself in a while, your- I mean, Roland. I thought it might be nice to stop and just, oh, I don't know. Enjoy myself."

"A wonderful idea," Roland said. "You always were the smart one, Dr. Emerson." He gestured towards the log that the other man was standing in front of. "You can sit back down, if you like. Actually, I might join you. That is, if you don't mind?"

[Post 5: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

Ethan nodded quickly. "Of course, of course! Feel free to sit, by all means." He himself sat down, giving the younger man ample space to seat himself. "And please, call me Ethan. You are the one who insists on being on a first name basis."

Chuckling slightly, Roland took a seat beside the doctor. "I guess you've got me there. It just seems so weird to call you Ethan. You've been my doctor since I was a kid."

"Actually, I've been your doctor longer than that," Ethan countered. "I'm the one who delivered you! I've known you literally all your life."

[Post 6: Bonfire]

[Kitsumi]

"Really?" Roland shook his head in amazement. "I didn't know it had been that long. I thought there was another doctor who served my parents before I was born. When exactly did you start working for them?"

Ethan's eyes glazed slightly as he remembered what it had been like when he had first been offered the job of private physician for Roland's parents. "There was another doctor, yes," he said. "But I was taken on as his intern. Technically I was fully qualified to work on my own, of course. But your parents wanted to be sure that I was prepared for the pressures of tending to a royal family. Dr. Carlson - that was the doctor before me - was travelling for his sister's wedding the night you were born. That's why I was the one to deliver you."

[Post 7: Bonfire]